What started out as a stomach bug for 10-year-old Lauren Morris, turned into a cancer diagnosis just days later.

"It was in March, when everyone was getting sick, but Lauren wasn't getting better," her mother, Karen Furr said.

"She continued to have headaches and just wasn't feeling well."

Morris, a fifth-grader at Whitlow Elementary, was diagnosed with an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer.

"Her surgery lasted five hours, and they removed the tumor," her mother said.

"Because of the aggressiveness of this type of cancer," Furr said. "She'll have chemo every week for a year."

Furr, who lives in the Castlebrooke subdivision in Cumming, said she and Lauren are in Jacksonville, Florida, for about seven weeks of intense radiation treatment.

"Lauren is tolerating it well," she said.

Furr's friends have looked for ways to help the family cover the costs associated with her care and the added expense of housing during radiation that is not covered by insurance.

Furr started a crowdfunding campaign, an online fundraising program using social media to spread the word and raise money for people in need, to help cover the travel and housing expenses for her daughter's treatment.

"Everything happened so fast," Furr said. "You don't have time to think about what everything's going to cost, you just think about your child and her health."

Furr is one of the first to use WeCareCard, an online crowdfunding program.

"This is a great way to inform the community about Lauren's situation, and allow them to support her," Katherine Mobley, chief marketing officer of WeCareCard said.

"People want to help their friends and family and often the best way to help is by providing funds for expenses," she said. "And our program makes it easy for them to do that."

Mobley said people can donate through the site and the funds are sent electronically to the administrator's account or they can opt for a check.

Furr is grateful to those who've already donated.

"We know everyone is busy with their lives and are so thankful that they're willing to help," she said. "It's amazing that so many people are willing to be there for us."

Furr said the family is taking things one day at a time. Her sisters miss her, and she misses them," she said.

To donate to her campaign or start a campaign, visit www.bit.ly/1nAvTxJ.

To learn more about Lauren Morris and her fight, visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/laurensjourney.